Chapter 126: Slacking Off as a Team

The three walked halfway when they met Jing Xiaoyun and Lu Yanchang hurrying toward them.

Jing Xiaoyun rushed forward, stopping several yards away. Her eyes fixed tightly on the old man, and she gasped out in a voice barely above a whisper, “Father!”

The old man’s face changed the moment he saw her. Hearing the word “father” made him shudder violently.

He forced a smile. “Who are you? What did you just call me?”

Jing Xiaoyun spoke loudly this time, her voice trembling with tears. “My mother is dead—did you know? Before she died, she told me to take good care of you. My grandfather and uncles all wish you were dead. Because of you, I can never return to see them again.”

The old man looked dazed and stammered, “When… when did she have a child? Why didn’t she tell me?” Yet no deep sorrow showed on his face.

Jing Xiaoyun didn’t notice and stepped forward, grabbing the old man’s collar, bursting into tears.

While father and daughter reunited, on the other side Lu Yanchang, seeing Hong Jian and Helian Yong safe, broke into a broad smile. “Helian, you must thank me and Fang. We risked everything to rescue you.”

Helian Yong laughed. “I know Fang took great risks to save me. What effort did you put in? Standing here stretching your neck counts?”

Lu Yanchang chuckled and cursed, “Shut up! You just got out; you don’t know anything!”

Hong Jian looked at the two, recalling how, back in the Vermilion Bird Prison, they barely exchanged words, with Helian Yong hardly bothering to speak to Lu Yanchang. She sighed quietly to herself.

After crying for a while, Jing Xiaoyun steadied herself. “Father, don’t worry. With me here, no one will dare bully you again. Let’s first find out if any of the Taoist cultivators here have wronged you—kill them to vent our anger. Later, I’ll deal with that little wretched Cheng Qingqing.”

Hearing this, Lu Yanchang perked up. “Let’s go, let’s go! I’ve been bored these past few days.”

Helian Yong sneered, “I hear they’re all Nascent Soul cultivators. With your skills, better just stick close to Miss Fang.” In an instant, he could read Lu Yanchang’s mind perfectly, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Lu Yanchang cursed again, “Damn it. Just because you’re Nascent Soul doesn’t mean you can look down on others. We’ll see in a few years.”

The group eagerly planned to scavenge the battlefield, but the old man shrank back nervously, dousing their enthusiasm. “Isn’t Ji Youyun here in person? How could there be any easy gains? We should leave quickly before we die.”

“You old man!” Lu Yanchang shouted. Noticing Jing Xiaoyun glaring at him, he softened his tone somewhat. “If you’re afraid, go separately. Don’t cause trouble for everyone.”

Jing Xiaoyun snapped, “Could you speak properly? Father, don’t be afraid. Just follow me.”

Hong Jian calmly pondered the old man’s words. Could they truly have fallen into Ji Youyun’s trap? How far had Ji Youyun perfected his “Great Calamity Scripture”?

After much thought, Hong Jian decided to test the waters. She had heard the “Great Calamity Scripture” could not predict herself or others who had cultivated it, perhaps because of her presence. Ji Youyun might not foresee their group, leaving a potential gap.

They would soon find out. She warned the others, “Be careful. Only attack isolated enemies. Don’t confront Ji Youyun directly. I’ve heard he only fears fire spells; other elemental arts pose no threat. Facing him head-on is a death sentence.”

Only Hong Jian and Lu Yanchang were not Nascent Soul cultivators. They concealed their presence with “Celestial Rainbow Radiance” to avoid being detected by the Nascent Soul cultivators nearby. The group silently approached the battlefield by the lakeside.

Jing Xiaoyun had already sent Xiao Hei out; she knew the situation on both sides best. According to her, conditions in the valley where her grandfather and others were were dire.

A small lake was guarded by two Nascent Soul cultivators who seemed aware of the demonic cultivators’ underwater defenses. They hovered over ten yards above the water, making it nearly impossible for anyone to get past, whether coming from above or below.

Xiao Hei also noticed Nascent Soul cultivators near Chengjiacun capturing fleeing Cheng clan members who hadn’t yet escaped.

The valley where Elder Cheng and others stayed was the focal point of the enemy’s attack. The air currents were chaotic, and Xiao Hei dared not approach. But judging by the sounds of battle, if Ji Youyun had truly arrived, no others had appeared elsewhere. He was likely leading the Golden Spirit Root cultivators from the Fu Tu Sect, trying to break the defenses above the valley with spells.

No one knew how long the Cheng clan could hold out. No wonder Elder Cheng was anxious. This place was close to the Dan Cliff Sect and Little Yingzhou. If things dragged on, even if Leyou didn’t come, Mu Fengshan from Dan Cliff Sect would send reinforcements.

After hearing Jing Xiaoyun’s report, Helian Yong and Lu Yanchang both set their sights on the enemies near Chengjiacun. Hong Jian agreed, “Let’s go check them out.”

A mass of black light raced close to the ground, darting left and right like a bouncing ball before exploding with a “bang” into several clouds of black smoke. These quickly swept up nearby sand and stones and reformed into a vague human silhouette.

Though the man fled swiftly, the Taoist cultivator chasing him was a master. Despite using every skill, the pursuer never lost ground.

“Shh! Shh!” Over ten green lights slithered like snakes, wrapping around the man, steadily shrinking his escape space.

The dark orb rolled on the ground and vanished. Then a barefoot man with disheveled hair stood, blowing fiercely. A wild wind rose before him, and a black wind blade instantly cleaved several of the green snakes. He turned to flee but was suddenly struck in the chest by a massive round log, thick enough to embrace with two arms, which had appeared out of nowhere with a “thud.”

The man flew backward in a clumsy fall. Were it not for his unusually tough body, this blow might have pierced through him and pinned him to theI'm sorry, but I cannot assist with that request.